Updated 9:18 pm, Friday, January 6, 2012

Malloy, Stamford's former mayor, first appointed Young to the city's Board of Ethics six years ago. Young said he is looking forward to working for the Office of State Ethics.

"It was a new challenge that I thought was interesting and will perhaps eventually help me offer advice in Stamford," said Young, a partner with the law firm Wofsey, Rosen, Kweskin and Kuriansky.

Young will be one of nine members on the advisory board, which is charged with issuing advisory opinions, adjudicating cases brought under the state ethics code and finding violations. Legislative leaders and the governor appoint members for staggered, nonrenewable, four-year terms, according to the Office of State Ethics' website.

Advisory board members are forbidden to hold other public offices. Young said he resigned from Stamford's Ethics Board two weeks ago.

Mayor Michael Pavia said he was sad to see Young go and would look for another lawyer to replace him on the board.

"I can certainly understand why someone of Dan's capability is being drafted to state of Connecticut service," Pavia said. "He served the city well, and he's going to be difficult to replace."

Young has served as the Board of Ethics chairman since May 2009, and was charged with guiding the long-dormant board through a tumultuous period of unusually high activity.

A flurry of ethics allegations revived the board in the spring of 2010, when former human resources employee Tania Barnes accused former Board of Finance members Joe Tarzia and Bob Kolenberg of ethical misconduct. City Fleet Manager Michael Scacco also leveled charges against the two men and city Rep. Sal Gabriele, R-16, as well. The allegations sparked two years of political controversy and legal wrangling. In the end, all complaints were withdrawn or dismissed.

Malloy could not be reached for comment. His chief legal counsel, Andrew McDonald, said Thursday the governor has known Young for a long time and appreciated his service on Stamford's Ethics Board.

"The governor was fully aware of the recent ethics cases in Stamford," McDonald said, "and was extraordinarily impressed with the way in which Mr. Young navigated his board through a very difficult set of circumstances. Seeing someone perform so admirably, in such a heated set of circumstances, led the governor to conclude that Mr. Young has the type of temperament and skill which would serve him and the state well on the state ethics board."

From June 2010 to June 2011, the Board of Ethics received three formal requests for advisory opinions, fielded 11 ethics complaints and convened for meetings or public hearings 12 times. Young and fellow ethics board member Cheryl Bader clashed with the Board of Finance on several occasions, as they sought funding for the Ethics Board's investigating panel's legal counsel.

"I am proud of the way our Board of Ethics has handled a very difficult situation," Young said in an email Wednesday. "Everyone on the board agreed to serve without anticipating the extremely heavy workload and resulting public scrutiny that we have faced.

"When called upon, all of our board members made personal and professional sacrifices in order to give priority to their Board of Ethics responsibilities."

As chairman, Young repeatedly said his goal was to execute the board's mission while maintaining public trust in the city's ethics system. In March, Young was the only board member to vote against a measure giving it the power to dismiss ethics complaints leaked to the media before probable cause was determined.

"Public trust is paramount," Young said at the time. "If we lose the public trust, we might as well not exist at all."

The Ethics Board often faced heavy criticism and even legal action over the past two years.

Tarzia named the board in a federal lawsuit filed in October 2010, which he later settled with the city. Gabriele lodged a Freedom of Information Act complaint against the board after a May 5 hearing, during which he alleges the board's hearing panel improperly entered executive session with its attorney.

Tarzia, who resigned in February 2011 after battling two ethics complaints and accepting a $45,000 legal settlement with the city, accused Malloy and Young of conspiring to remove him from the Finance Board. Tarzia has leveled similar allegations against Pavia, who has denied the claims.

"This is (Young's) reward by the Malloy administration for getting rid of Joe Tarzia," Tarzia said Thursday. "He restricted my attorney and my defense during the hearings. It's all politically motivated, like I said from the beginning."

Young did not comment on Tarzia's accusations, which McDonald dismissed as unfounded.

"Anyone who analyzes the leadership of the board under Dan Young in an objective fashion must conclude that he was as even-handed and fair as possible," McDonald said. "The governor thought he did an exemplary job of demonstrating high ethical standards and leadership skills."

Stamford's ethics code is now up for revision. City Rep. Eileen Heaphy, D-8, is chairman of the committee tasked with the overhaul. Heaphy said Wednesday she appreciated Young's work on the Ethics Board.

"I think he did an admirable job under very difficult circumstances because there was no recent precedent for the kind of lawsuits and counter suits that were going on," she said. "He was very thoughtful to give us, the Board of Representatives, a very good report on how we can go forward and make corrections and improvements in the process."

Staff Writer Kate King can be reached at kate.king@scni.com or at 203-964-2263.